7 Things Northern Irish People Do On Holiday

You can spot someone from Northern Ireland a mile off when they’re on holiday abroad… these are 7 reasons why…

1. Arguing about where to eat

You have an abundance of steak houses and tapas restaurants and a long beautiful beach to walk by while picking one. They all look pretty nice. A half hour of looking turns into an hour, then the hour turns into hunger and then into fighting about where to go. McDonald’s it is then!

2. Sandals and socks

You wouldn’t do it at home so why, why, why do you feel the need to become a tennis player / Jesus Christ mash up on your holidays.

3. Fake football tops

The colours are usually bang on, but the big give away is the fonts used for the player’s names (like something out of WordArt in Office 2003) ,

And then when you try to barter the seller gives such an impassioned plea that for a second you doubt yourself and believe it might actually be the real thing.

4. Can’t you speak English?!

There’s a point on most holidays where the language barrier proves too much, but it’s always funny the way we are almost disgusted they don’t know English.

Also when they don’t understand us why do we think by shouting they will understand us better?! And then comes the universal hand signals for things like the bill (scribbling on your hand with an imaginary pen) or the bus station (two hands frantically steering a oversized wheel).

5. Too hot

After complaining for most of the year about the crap weather in Northern Ireland we head abroad only to discover that the weather is ‘too hot’.

6. Too much wine

It’s really admirable and cool that for example the Spanish have this culture of going around a few bars sipping wine and eating tapas and going home when they’ve had enough. That ain’t the Northern Irish way, when we drink we won’t stop until we’re unconscious.

7. Home from home

Many families seek refuge in English and Irish bars while on holiday. I never saw the point of going somewhere to eat and drink the same things you get back home. When going to a different country, I try to immerse myself in its culture. That said, we’re all guilty of a visit to the Red Lion or Irish Rover to catch up on the sport back home and whilst eating a fry minus potato and soda bread and downing pints of the worst Guinness you’ll ever taste.